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Yeah, I don't understand the defense to this. There are a lot of analogies being thrown around but it doesn't address the main point.

If you purchase a printer, it should be able to print. The subscription is described as :

> The subscription promises to send you ink when you're running low as long as you print within the designated number of pages.

So it seems its only related to when the ink is getting low. It doesn't mention "You will lose the ability to print documents should you cancel your subscription."

That would be considered leasing a printer.

This is predatory too as the OP mentions the subscription was attached to the newly purchased printer.

> I bought an HP printer that came with an HP Instant Ink subscription a year ago.

So IMO there is no defense of HP here.

On their terms : https://instantink.hpconnected.com/us/en/v2/terms

> Consequences of Cancellation. You agree that HP will not be liable to You for any cancellation of Your Service or refusal of access to the Service or Site. Upon cancellation of Your Service for any reason mentioned in this Agreement, any rights granted to You under this Agreement will terminate and You must immediately cease all use of the Service and return the Subscription Cartridges to HP as detailed in Section 5.e (“Subscription Cartridges must be returned by You to HP”). Furthermore, any Promotion Incentives that you earned pursuant to the Refer-a-Friend Promotion will immediately expire upon termination of Your Service.

No mention of the printer being disabled ?




> If you purchase a printer, it should be able to print.

And it can. You just need to buy a regular cartridge now.

You purchased the printer. You licensed the ink cartridge, via pretty clear terms.


That's so bizzare to me, the subscription payments surely would be considered payment of cartridge ?

I am mistaken obviously as I thought it was a convenience of delivery subscription.


HP Instant Ink is so widely misunderstood that HP should really just cancel the entire program because it's been an absolute PR disaster ever since its inception.

With Instant Ink, you are not subscribing to ink cartridges. You are subscribing to a monthly quota of printed pages. The ink is merely the vehicle to deliver the printed pages. You never own the ink cartridges. At best, you're renting them. When you decide you don't want to pay the rent anymore, you don't get to keep using them.


You're not paying for the cartridges if you buy the "Instant Ink" thing. The plans all talk about pages-per-month. No subscription, no pages.


No, it’s explicitly payment to print a certain number of pages a month using a leased ink cartridge.

They likely don’t bother reclaiming them because it would cost more than they’re worth.


> and return the Subscription Cartridges to HP as detailed in Section 5.e (“Subscription Cartridges must be returned by You to HP”).

No mention of the printer being disabled, but mention that OP is required to return the cartridge that they didn't return.

If they actually intend for you to return the cartridge HPs position is a lot more reasonable. It's no longer "and we destroy the ink that you didn't use" it's "and we re-sell the ink you didn't use to someone else".

On the other hand if this is basically just a scam where they intend for you to think you have a working printer, when you don't, unless you resubscribe. Then that's despicable. The fact that they apparently didn't follow up asking for their cartridge back makes me suspicious that it is this.




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